If you want to hear some amazing stories, the greatest place to go is history. Stories of bravery, destruction, conflicts, and love are all well-told; nothing is new. Even while history is replete with notable individuals whose names are well-known worldwide, many more unsung heroes go unrecognized and are eclipsed by the accomplishments of others. Then there is the situation with the individuals and objects that we are vaguely aware of but have heard about. TV shows start to matter at this point.
These programs educate and amuse you at the same time, regardless of how many times the narrative is told or how you are introduced to a particular character for the first time. Netflix offers a fantastic selection of historical dramas. This is a list of some of the best historical dramas now available on Netflix.
“Alias Grace” is a television drama miniseries starring Sarah Gadon, Edward Holcroft, and Rebecca Liddiard, and it is based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name. The narrative centers on Grace Marks, a domestic worker employed in Upper Canada who is mistakenly accused of killing her employer, and a destitute Irish immigrant. She and James McDermott are ultimately found guilty of the crime. Grace is sentenced to life in jail, while James is executed by hanging. “Alias Grace” tells the captivating story of the protagonist, who becomes the most notorious lady in Canada due to a contentious issue.
Barbarians (2020)
German medieval war drama TV series “Barbarians” stars Laurence Rupp, Jeanne Goursaud, and David Schütter. The program, which was developed by Jan Martin Scharf, Arne Nolting, and Andreas Heckmann, centers on what happens to Magna Germania after the Romans have occupied it for two decades. Despite long-standing oppression from high taxes and other autocratic rulings, internal strife prevents the aboriginal people from banding together to oppose the alien invaders. However, Arminius, an eques in the Roman Imperial army, does not ignore the treatment of the Germanic tribes and is able to unite the populace in order to overthrow their oppressors and rise beyond small-time politics.
Bridgerton (2020 -)
Chris Van Dusen’s period drama series “Bridgerton” on Netflix is based on the novels of Julia Quinn. The main character of the play is Daphne Bridgerton, the eldest daughter of the influential and politically connected titular family, who must negotiate the cutthroat English marriage market during the Regency era. Her parents have always encouraged her to pursue real love, and her exceptional beauty and kind disposition make her an attractive bride to many men. Unfortunately, she soon finds herself in a precarious situation where her hopes of meeting the perfect marriage are dashed.
Cathedral of the Sea (2018)
This story takes place in Barcelona in the fourteenth century and is based on Ildefonso Falcones’ book of the same name. It tells the story of a little child named Arnau Estanyol, whose adoptive father brings him to Barcelona. The city is experiencing one of its most prosperous periods. The Santa Maria del Mar cathedral is being built, and the Inquisition wave is riding along with it. Arnau learns how to work with stones and joins the Cathedral’s construction crew. He climbs the ladder by learning his way around the city’s politics and power structures over time. But being close to power also brings him closer to its associated risks.
Jaguar (2021)
Blanca Suárez, Adrián Lastra, Iván Marcos, and Francesc Garrido star in the Spanish drama streaming television series “Jaguar,” which was created by Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira. It tells the tale of Isabel Garrido, a Spanish survivor from Mauthausen who joins a group of Nazi hunters in Francoist Spain in order to track down her oppressors, using her passion for justice and vengeance as motivation. Isabel used to work for Otto Bachmann, a Nazi officer who had brutally killed her father, when she was younger. Thus, the protagonist proves to be a valuable member of her squad as she sets out to track down her fiercest foes, whom she had lived with since a young age.
Knightfall (2017 – 2019)
Richard Rayner and Dan Handfield’s historical fiction drama television series “Knightfall” stars a cast of well-known actors including Tom Cullen, Jim Carter, Pádraic Delaney, and Simon Merrells. Following the collapse of their last bastion, the story follows the Knights Templar as they rebuild and start to fight again, a conflict that eventually becomes the Crusades. Sadly, they anger elites and lose a lot of allies in the process, some of whom turn out to be their fiercest adversaries.
Marco Polo (2014- 2016)
The adventurer Marco Polo is the one you would have encountered in your school history textbooks. Among the most well-known explorers, he is well-known for his reports, particularly regarding Asian nations. The young Polo and his voyage across Asia to go to Kublai Khan’s court are the main subjects of this program. The series deftly depicts his stay in the Chinese court and the impact of the culture on him, which was further mirrored in his literary works.
Norsemen (2016- present)
Many people believe that the Vikings were among the most ferocious tribes in history. They have been shown to be the kind of people you wouldn’t want as foes in a number of television shows and motion pictures. Several works have been inspired by their legends and stories, and historical dramas frequently make mention to them. Although all of these changes have made them a very interesting subject, they have also rendered their characters flat. “Norsemen” dares to alter this circumstance. This comedy-drama centers on the everyday struggles of a group of Vikings residing in Norheim, and their comical responses to everything from everyday life events to conflicts with neighboring tribes.
Outlander (2014- present)
This television program tells the tale of a lady who is sent back in time and is based on Diana Gabaldon’s series of the same name. After serving as a medic during World War II, Claire Randall is in Inverness, Scotland, in 1946 on her second honeymoon with her husband Frank. At Craigh na Dun, they watch a group of ladies dancing in what appears to be a ceremony one evening. When Claire returns the next day, she touches the stone and is carried back in time to the Scottish revolt of the eighteenth century.
The Crown (2016- present)
“The Crown,” one of the most popular modern series, centers on the reign of the reigning Queen of England. Because people are as interested in the personal lives of the Royal family as they are in the lives of their favorite celebrities, the Royal family has always been the center of attention for the media and paparazzi. Following the passing of her father, King George VI, in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II assumed the throne and has become the longest-reigning British monarch. Over the roughly 67 years that she has been on the throne, a lot has happened to both her family and the world. Both the fans and the critics have praised the two seasons of the show greatly. It’s also one of the most anticipated series of the year, especially with celebrities like Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter associated with it for its upcoming season.
The Empress (2022-)
The life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, sometimes known as “Sisi,” and her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph are the central themes of the German television series “The Empress,” also known as “Die Kaiserin.” At first, Franz is Sisi’s sister’s fiancé, but the two of them end up falling deeply in love and getting married. Sisi’s difficulties inevitably get worse as she ascends to the imperial position. Not only does she have to deal with her husband’s vicious relatives, but she also needs to support him in navigating the growing anti-monarchy feelings. In the meantime, war is imminent and tensions between Russia and Austria are rising quickly. “The Empress” is a lively costume drama on stage, even if it doesn’t hold back when illustrating the harsh customs of the era and the consequences of the protagonist’s naive choices.
The English Game (2020)
A historical sports drama on television, “The English Game” was created by Julian Fellowes, Tony Charles, and Oliver Cotton. Football was primarily a pastime for the wealthy in 1970s Great Britain, but two guys resolved to change that. Edward Holcroft and Kevin Guthrie star in the film. A working-class superstar and his upper-class counterpart, although coming from different sides of the class divide, struggle with personal and professional issues as they try to alter the game. Even though their objective appears to be rather lofty, the deuteragonist ultimately exceeds their own hopes when they succeed in changing their nation.
The Last Kingdom (2015- present)
The ninth-century setting of this series, which is based on Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories, is when the Anglo-Saxons and Viking Danes clashed. The main character is Uhtred, who was captured by the Vikings and killed together with his father when he was just a small child. Earl Ragnar brought him up amidst the Vikings. When he grows older, he is killed during an attack on Ragnar’s daughter’s wedding by another tribe. Now that he is an adult, Uhtred chooses to use force to exact revenge on these assailants for killing Ragnar. He also muses of regaining the kingdom from which he had been expelled for such a long time.
Troy Fall of a City (2018)
David Farr is the creator and co-writer of the historical drama miniseries Troy: Fall of a City, which was partially inspired by Homer’s epic poem “Iliad.” The film, starring Louis Hunter and Aimee Finfion Edwards, centers on Paris, the son of Troy, who, while visiting Sparta, falls in love with Menelaus’s wife. When the couple finally decides to go public, they not only endanger their own lives but also lay the groundwork for a protracted battle that could have prevented the deaths of tens of thousands of otherwise innocent men.
Versailles (2015-2018)
The setting of “Versailles,” which takes place in the second part of the sixteenth century, is King Louis XIV’s court. France was still coping with the aftermath of the Fronde, a string of civil conflicts that it had recently survived. The King felt endangered because the nobles had started to publicly express their dissatisfaction with the throne. King Louis plans to relocate the court from Paris to Versailles in an attempt to regain the authority he previously held over the court and its nobility. As a result of this uprooting, the royalty and nobility find themselves in a new setting where everyone is vying for supremacy.
Vikings: Valhalla (2022–)
A follow-up to History’s “Vikings,” “Vikings: Valhalla” is a Netflix series created by Jeb Stuart. The story takes place around a century after the events of the first television series and centers on one of the most important turning points in Northern Europe’s history. After a Dane community is massacred, Saxon-Dane hostilities escalate to a breaking point in Britain. This results in King Canute leading an invasion. The last fight of ancient Nordic paganism against the massive expansion of Christianity is taking place simultaneously with this conflict. Nearly every major character in the series, including Emma of Normandy, Leif Erikson, his sister Freydís Eiríksdóttir, Canute, and Harald Sigurdsson, are historical persons.
